1. Field
Various features disclosed herein pertain generally to electronic devices, and at least some features pertain to devices and methods for facilitating heat dissipation for electronic devices.
2. Background
As handheld and portable electronic devices increase in capability and functionality, the electronics within the devices must provide improved computational performance levels. In order to achieve these higher computational performance levels, such electronic devices must dissipate increasing amounts of energy in the form of heat. Due to the compact size of typical devices, this energy can rapidly heat the device, causing discomfort or even injury to the user who is touching the device (e.g., with hands, face, body).
Human skin can be sensitive to the heat dissipated by the device surface. Conventionally, electronic thermal management systems employ multiple temperature sensors to monitor and manage the overall temperature of the device. When the temperature becomes excessive, software and/or hardware may restrict (e.g., throttle down) the overall performance of the device by reducing the computational performance of the integrated circuits. Because of the sensitivity of human skin to the heat dissipated by the device surface, the thermal management typically starts restricting the device (processor) performance once the temperature of the enclosure reaches about 45° C. This restriction can become a major limitation to performance. For example, the frame rate of graphics or video may be restricted, the speed of computation and/or responsiveness of an application may be restricted, etc.
Another conventional solution to thermal management involves fan-forced active cooling to improve heat transfer, but this option is limited in practicality and is expensive. Fan forced cooling systems can result in increased power consumption to energize the forced air, and may also increase the size of the device housing, noise, and reliability. Air cooling is also limited by the small form factor of many portable electronic devices.